This morning, we hosted our annual North Star Summit, named for Opportunity 180’s unwavering commitment to reaching our North Star– ensuring every kid in Nevada graduates high school college and career-ready and prepared to live the life they dream. We welcomed an engaged and passionate group of community stakeholders to hear from two national leaders working with communities to spur policies and practices that will boost student success: Marc Porter Magee of 50CAN and Michael Franco of TNTP. The conversation focused on how we need to stamp a destination for what we want to be true from our education system, and how each of us can chart a route to help Nevada get there.
When you plug an address into your phone’s GPS system, you receive a handy blue dot to indicate where you are: this is the data we heard today, and what has recently been released by the Nevada Department of Education about the results of last school year. Only 42.8% of elementary school students are on grade level in reading, and only 26.8% of middle school students are on grade level in math. As Nevada students approach graduation, less than half (45.2%) are at grade level in English; less than one in five (19.4%) are at grade level in math. Our graduation rate statewide is over 80%, though – meaning that more kids are graduating high school unprepared for their next step, whether it is college or entering the workforce.
We know we have work to do to get to where we want to go. The question remains, what are we, as a community, plugging in as our destination? At Opportunity 180, we are proposing a common destination: every kid prepared for college and career, ready in terms of both the academic foundation and the durable skills to thrive in our rapidly advancing world. This would be measured by the number of students leaving high school prepared to enter college and/or with an industry-recognized credential. How we get there is up to us, and each of us has a role in charting the course to our destination.
Like a GPS map, we are offered multiple routes to get from Point A to Point B. We are given feedback on our journey, once we choose a route – when we make a wrong turn or an obstacle pops up, the route re-calculates. What is pivotal to our journey and to get every kid to the “red dot” are: high expectations for every kid and every education stakeholder, paired with clear targets (where we want to go) and accountability measures to ensure every kid is receiving a quality education that fits their needs AND meets expectations (how to respond and adjust course).
During Michael’s presentation on schools across the country that have seen significant and sustained achievement growth over time, he noted three major integrated themes: consistency with teaching quality, coherence around an instructional program, and a sense of belonging. These themes tie directly in with several threads at work in our ecosystem: from work with the Governor’s Acing Accountability initiative to the Commission on School Funding’s charge regarding accountability; the commitment to be reading at grade level by the end of third grade; the work being undertaken to address the teacher pipeline and preparing and growing teachers’ approach to planning and lesson design; from improving not only the academic success metrics that predicts stronger life outcomes but the durable skills discussed during a recent Portrait of a Nevada Learner convening – skills craved by our business and employer communities.
Courtesy of TNTP
As a key example, during “The Now of Learning Summit” hosted by the Nevada Department of Education, keynote speaker Timothy Knowles, President of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, discussed the need to adapt learning to the way kids access and process information AND aligning the expectations from a connected, rapidly changing workplace, ensuring that they are learning in a way that is responsive to demands placed on them in the future: both academically, in terms of rigor and instructional materials, and in terms of durable skills leveraged in the workplace.
Some states (like Indiana, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin) are already at work on building tools that reliably measure both academic results and their alignment to the impact of durable skill acquisition assessing learning that’s taking place in a classroom or beyond it, through extracurricular programs, internships, and other opportunities. These states have been able to anchor to data points predictive of life outcomes and integrate new ways of teaching and learning. During the North Star Summit, Marc Porter Magee presented data demonstrating that Nevada performs well, according to students and parents, in out-of-school activities and in volunteer or service participation. These are paths that are being carved out by nonprofit organizations, employers, and partnerships with employment and workforce organizations, and are critical to ensuring kids are prepared for college and career. What we focus on and put resources into matters, because those areas tend to be the ones where we see progress.
Courtesy of 50CAN
Based on the date, we know where we need to improve, what areas need additional focus and resources, and what works from other places. We know that when we focus on something, we can accomplish it. And, when we use data to identify where we are and the distance to get where we need to go we increase the chances of reaching our destination.
Think of what we could do, collectively, if we put data to use in designing the route to our destination, and how many people we could bring along for the ride. We can focus on metrics that are clear indicators for life outcomes: reading at grade level by the end of third grade and proficiency in algebra by eighth grade. We can focus on career and college readiness by ensuring every kid graduates high school with a 22 on the ACT or an industry-recognized credential. Our kids deserve every opportunity to succeed in life – academically, socially, and emotionally. A strong education system can provide the right scaffolding for their success – if we have the strength, fortitude, and sense of courageous collaboration required for this moment, and this journey.
Nevada’s education has been a bumpy ride – we have had unexpected potholes, detours, and outdated infrastructure contributing to a long and often exhausting journey. But now is the time to rally our collective resources and expertise, to chart a course rooted in data and bolstered by strong, clear accountability so that we can ensure that we leave a smoother road ahead for the next generation. Bottom line: there are multiple routes to get us to stronger student results, and as long as we have that clear “red dot” set as our destination, no matter the path we choose we can have an incredible impact for kids, together.
